This was originally published on AllBusiness.
Here’s a secret: when I’m not kicking ass as a business writer, I’m a pretty “woo-woo” kind of girl. So crystals and tarot? They're my jam. I use them every single day, including in my business. I want to share some of the spiritual rituals for entrepreneurs I use in my own business, in the hopes that they also help you.
Why We Need Rituals
We sometimes mire ourselves in the rushrushrush of running our businesses and, at the end of the day, we are mentally and physically exhausted. But we are not our businesses.
Read that again: We are not our businesses.
We are individuals with interests outside of what we do for money. In my case, those interests are of a spiritual nature. After most workdays, you can find me reading books about tarot or mindfulness.
For whatever reason, most of us have decided that to succeed in business, we have to separate our personal interests from our business selves. I used to feel like two people: the one wearing the assertive entrepreneurial mask and the self I was when I took that mask off. It made me miserable.
Can you relate?
This is why we need rituals: to bring more of our SELVES into our daily work. Your rituals may look different, but I’d like to share a few of mine.
4 Spiritual Rituals for Entrepreneurs
1. Start Your Day Off Mindfully
Do you rush through your morning and start working as soon as you’ve mainlined your coffee? Yeah. I used to do that, too. But I started carving out a little space before work and it’s made all the difference.
I work from home, so I make my coffee and take it and my phone to the couch. I sit for just a few moments, taking in my surroundings and being grateful. Grateful for the golden sun streaming in. Grateful for the furry cat in my lap.
As my coffee cools, I go through my phone. I check headlines and my personal mail. I know I won’t take time for this again until later in the day, so I try to see what’s happening in my world before I move into work mode. Once I sit at my desk, I might light a candle, which creates a cozy vibe (and smells great!).
I find I’m much more grounded by taking this time for myself first thing in the morning.
2. Choose a Crystal with Intention
Okay, this one might be a little far out for you, but it’s thought that crystals have energetic power. There’s a crystal for just about everything, and I sometimes grab one and put it on my desk, depending on what I’m calling in.
If I’m feeling stressed and frantic, I might rub an amethyst stone. If I need to find some loving kindness for a difficult client, it’s rose quartz. If I want to win a new project or make more money, I’ll pick up aventurine or citrine.
Even if you don’t buy into the whole crystal power thing, at the very least, they’re beautiful and decorative.
3. Step Away When You Feel Blocked
Have you ever had a problem at work and couldn’t solve it no matter how hard you worked on it? The issue may be that you’re focusing on it too much.
I find that if I step away from my desk and go on a walk or meditate, my mind clears and the solution magically appears.
Speaking of meditation, have you tried it? It’s fantastic for chilling out the nervous system, increasing calm, and producing an overall balanced mindstate. You don’t have to meditate long for it to work. I use the app Headspace for unguided meditations of 10-20 minutes. There are also guided meditations to help with stress, anger, loneliness—you name it.
4. Look to the Oracle
I don’t do this ritual enough, so this is a reminder to myself to bring it back. Both tarot cards and oracle cards can gain you access to your higher self and provide wisdom when you need it.
Tarot cards have a specific structure, and every deck has the same (basic) cards and meanings. Oracle cards are more varied: you might have cards with wise Buddhist sayings or funny cat memes. Generally, oracle cards provide some sage advice. For example, I just pulled a card from Oracle of the 7 Energies by Colette Baron-Reid, and the message is “A Grand Symphony.” I interpret the message of this card to be that while you need to celebrate your unique self, you also need to acknowledge that you are a part of the collective, the “grand symphony” of life!
Create Your Own Rituals
These kinds of spiritual rituals for entrepreneurs may work for some, but you don’t have to be “woo woo” or spiritual at all to create your own rituals to bring joy into your life. Consider those little things you love to do, and find ways to incorporate them into your workday. Maybe you take a 15-minute doodle break if you’re a budding artist. Or you go for a walk in the woods near your house. You might brew a delicious cup of tea and sip it mindfully.
Rituals should help you align with your true nature, which will, in turn, make you a more focused and successful entrepreneur.